Two Coffe Cups
by Uncle Charlie
Summary: Another 12 Fics of Christmas - Buffy hadn't meant to walk in on them. The sight was more than the vamp-dusting, demon-tromping heroine could take.


For **reapermum**

I haven't actually watch a whole episode of Buffy, but I've seen enough to get the gist of the progamme and who the characters are. But to me the actor who plays Giles will always be that bloke in the coffee ads. So how about a seasonal Buffy story, but somehow it has to include Giles needing to get hold of a jar of coffee.

_It's the most wonderful time of the year_

She'd been trying to get that song out of her head all day. It had been playing on her radio when it came on. To Buffy, any day she made it through alive was a most wonderful day.

She slammed the stake into the vampire's chest and he exploded in a cloud of shimmering dust. She spit some out of her mouth and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Well, that was special," she muttered and looked around. There weren't any other vampires lurking. She'd have sensed it. She shivered in her stylish but not very warm coat and sniffed. Her nose was drippy, she was tired and she still had another chapter to read before the history midterm tomorrow.

Buffy tried really hard to care about history and math and all the rest, but it was difficult when the likelihood was that she'd not make it to graduation. Heck, she'd already died once and she was still a junior.

She did one more round of the cemetery and headed back home. It felt weird to share the streets, her streets, with so many people. Everywhere around here people were carrying presents, laughing and celebrating the season.

Walking up her sidewalk, she was pleased to see a wreath on the door. For a long time, he mom had gone through the motions of the season, but there was a void caused by her absentee father. This year had been different, though. Her mother had mysteriously come to life and while Buffy didn't understand it, she was still pretty darn happy.

She let herself in and dropped her keys and cellphone on the small table in the entry. There were a pair of boots there than looking vaguely familiar.

Buffy smiled and understood why her mother seemed a bit more lively and happy. She had herself a guy. She headed for the kitchen where she could hear voices talking. She stepped into the doorway and froze.

Then silently she took a step back, her hand to her mouth, and fled. The people at the table never even registered her presence.

"It was awful, Will." Buffy flopped back on the bed of her best friend and tried to obliterate the sight from her memory. Then she realized something. "But, hey, the stupid song's gone," she said brightly. "Big whoop. Arrgh!" She scrubbed her face with her hands.

"Well, maybe he was just there on related business. Or he saw the light on and wanted to be sure there were no vamps around…" Willow trailed off at Buffy's look. "Or maybe I should just stop talking."

"Willow, what possible business could Giles have with my mother?"

"I don't know. Hey, maybe he was scoping out your Christmas gift!"

"Watcher Scrooge?" Buffy sat up and watched the fish swim serenely in Willow's tank. "Lucky fishies. They have nothing to worry about."

"Except for crazed ex-boyfriend vampires stringing 'em like little…" She clamped a hand over her mouth. "Shutting up again."

Buffy stood and paced the length of Willow's bedroom. "The worst part of it, Will, is that it was just out there in the open for everyone to see."

"Anyone who happened to be walkin' through your kitchen." She sighed and shook her head. "I'm not helping, am I?"

"That would be a big no."

"Well what actually did you see?"

"Mom and Giles were sitting there, drinking coffee… some instant stuff." Buffy frowned delicately as she thought. "Um, Taster's Choice."

"Oh, I like those commercials. Don't you think that guy looks a little like Giles?"

"Please! That guy's cute. Giles is Giles…"

"Okay, so they were drinking instant coffee instead of fresh. That's not so bad."

"Their hands were almost touching."

"Um, sorta bad?" She tried unsuccessfully to inject some humor, but it fell flat.

"Will. I counted, there were four of them!"

"You didn't say that you had other people visiting."

"Not people, Will! Fruitcakes! They were eating fruitcakes!"

"Eww…" Willow made a face, although she'd never even tasted a fruitcake of any type. "Well, at least the coffee was good…"


End file.
